The-Reviewer.net

Bond:

Who is this fellow?  This is not Sean Connery, this guy is British, not Scottish, he's fighting with a bit more spring in his step.  He has a different look, a different swagger, a little more British, a little less loose.  He has the looks, he has the moves, he still drinks his martini's shaken not stirred, and is still Bond, James Bond.  Her we see a master of deceit, that can ski and pilot a bobsled wit the best of them.  It is George Lazenby, and I think he's super.  He broke the 4th wall early in the movie to address the change as Bond, which I thought was a bit odd, but otherwise I thought he was a skilled believable Bond and I liked him very much. I think it was a shame he turned down the 7 picture deal. 

Bond Girls: 

Why hello ladies, in this movie, Bond is sent to a mountaintop lair that is filled with many beautiful women from around the world.  To my dislike Bond only beds 2 of these ladies and not all of them, but I guess a man can only do so much.  The first girl is Ruby Bartlett, a forward girl with a tragic haircut and glasses. We were nearing the 70's and it is starting to show.  She is a beautiful girl with amazing eyes, that is just a pawn for Blofeld, but she is a nice addition to the Bond Girl line up, save for the hair and glasses.  The other mountaintop girl is Nancy, a Hungarian girl who is a little less forward and a little more doe eyed. She is forgotten on me, and is just another girl.  The third woman is Traci Contessa, the daughter of a man who had info about Ernst Blofeld.  Traci Contessa becomes a central character in this movie and in the end James Bond marries her, because he has finally fallen in love! This is a change and while I think Traci Contessa is a beautiful girl I don't understand the idea of Bond getting married.  The story and girl are very effective and I think it is why some many people liked this Bond movie. 

Villian/Threat:

Blofeld is back, except like Bond he looks different, but this time there is a reason.  Blofeld has gotten Plastic Surgery to evade detection.  He is a craft rich man who seems to have unlimited funds, yet always wants to steal money.  In this one he uses the women in the mountaintop lair, The Angels Of Death, to distribute a toxin called Virus Omega throughout the world rendering all plants and animals infertile.  Which he says will destroy the world economy's.  It will also kill all life on earth but no one ever seems worried about that here.  The idea never feels that threatening.  The threat here more feels like James escaping with his life, than a global threat.  While the idea seems good, it isnt' ever executed well. 

Gadgets:

Radioactive Pocket Lint…sigh.  This is lint that can track someone while it sits in your pocket.  Truly the idea seems great, but the execution of just showing some lint on screen feels very weak for Bond.  No movie tricks, no amazing ideas that feel like they are from the future, just pocket lint.  This is a disappointment.  There is also a 2 way radio hidden in a woman's compact, again not too impressive. The third item is a giant safecracker and photo copier that has to be lifted by a crane to be used.  It feels like they were not creative here and I would rather them not make any gadgets at all if they are going to go with these silly things. 

Overall: 

It seemed like George Lazenby was ready to go as Bond, I thought he was an excellent choice, and if they had to make a change he is as good a man as I could pick.  The movie felt like it was split in two with the storyline of the girls on the mountaintop and the romance between Bond and Traci Contessa. The threat, and gadgets never felt like they were well thought out and left me wanting more in those parts.  There were some amazing snow scenes in this movie, ski chases, and a bobsled chase, which is just awesome.  The movie felt weird and confused and out of place, like they had a lot of ideas and threw them into a pot and got out this movie.  One of my least favorite Bond's thus far.   

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